Shubin started off the chapter with describing his experience with dissecting a cadaver. It caught my attention that he felt an emotional and personal connection. This hand was part of a living person, who loved, laughed, ate, lived, cried, slept...etc :) Wow. All these fossils were once living breathing animals who swam, ate, and lived. With the mention of the hand, Shubin introduces Sir Charles Bell who thought "the structure of the hand was "perfect" because it was complex. and ideally arranged...that could only have a divine origin" (29). This statement made me think about how every single part of our body is "perfect". Or is it?! Our body right now does everything we need to survive. Can it be improved? WHAT?! I believe that our bodies do have a "divine origin". All these bones, muscles, and organs in our body are so complex. One thing about evolution that I don't understand is that why are there fish/other animals today? If we come from fish, then shouldn't everyone be human? Do only some animals evolve, and other don't?
The complexity of paleontology was once again emphasized in this chapter. "It can take months, if not years, for a preparator to turn a big fossil-filled boulder like ours into a beautiful research-quality specimen" (38). Just to be able to study the bones took a long process. I admire paleontologist for their patience.
How we use our hands is amazing. "Bend your arm and you are using a number of muscles that begin in your forearm, extending into tendons as they travel down your arm to end of your hand" (29). A lot of muscles for just one action. All developed from fish with wrists.
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